How Do Speeches Offer Practical Solutions and Optimism in Times of Social Division and Racial Conflict?

Great speeches offering practical solutions, optimism for the future and moral clarity can unify and motivate people in times of social conflict and racial division. Subsequently, an understanding of people and the world is developed, and a relationship between the voice and the audience is created. This profound level of optimism and hope can be seen in JFK’s Inaugural Address, and Jessie Street’s Is It to Be Back to the Kitchen? A relative distinctive voice is also significantly found in Anthony Burgess’ classic novel, A Clockwork Orange. The compelling speeches display a significant level of hope and optimism by creating a distinctive, reasoning and humble voice that addresses issues of inequality and racial conflict; and by outlining their intention of unifying and motivating the nation in order to create change and a more prosperous future. This allows a greater understanding of people and the world, and can be compared to the ever-changing voice portrayed in A Clockwork Orange. John F. Kennedy once said, â€Å"I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President, who happens also to be a Catholic. † In this single sentence, he uses a method of Aristotle’s persuasive speech making. One of the greatest examples of using rhetorical strategies is indeed John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of 1961. JFK uses diction, syntax, and Aristotle’s method of persuasion in his inaugural address that not only made it uniquely his own, but made it undoubtedly one of the best, emotion-tugging speeches ever . He displays certain distinctive qualities in his voice that provide a unifying and motivating sense of hope. Kennedy appears to be humble and reasoning, and offers practical solutions and optimism for the future of the nation through various discourses to establish his â€Å"good character†. As Kennedy was a powerful and authoritative figure of that time, he was able to create a profoundly influential and famous speech that not only captured the audience’s attention, but allowed a sense of hope, optimism and moral clarity in a difficult time. He does this through his range of discourses throughout the speech, including religious and cultural. For example, Kennedy states that â€Å"the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. † By saying this, he suggests that â€Å"God† is not a religious stranger, but rather a trustworthy, like-minded leader. This technique opens the minds of listeners and allows his audience to be influenced and lead by his powerful directional voice. Through this masterful and influential voice, he both motivates and his audience on an emotional level and reassures them as to the reasonableness of his call to action on an intellectual level. This opens a greater and deeper understanding of the world and the way in which directional and influential voices allow the world to remain optimistic and become unified in a time of social conflict and racial division. Similarly, opposite techniques are used in Jessie Street’s â€Å"Is It to be Back to the Kitchen? † are used to achieve a similar outcome- through her influence and distinctive voice. In comparison to JFK’s Inaugural Address, in Jessie Street’s â€Å"Is It to be Back to the Kitchen? a distinctive voice occurs, in which Street addresses the nation in a much more straight-forward and uncomplicated way. This is a significantly powerful yet excessively prosaic speech that both unifies the nation, and offers a sense of hope and optimism in a time of social conflict and racial division. The strong and highly influential views of Street are conveyed through her distinctive unifying voice, and her ability to convey her message on the level of her listeners without seeming condescending or superior. Street's distinctive voice is highly prosaic, and possesses a somewhat conversational quality, that allows her to convey her powerful message at a deeply personal and casual level, that is straight forward and easy to understand. She also augments this by using rhetorical questions and repetition of questioning, and by addressing her audience directly. This applies throughout the entire speech. For example, when Street asks â€Å"Do you remember that one of the first things that the Nazis did when they came to power was to put the women out of the professions; out of the factories? or â€Å"Don’t you agree? † not only is Street directly addressing her audience to reach them on a personal level, she is also using excessively prosaic language to come to terms with her audience and level with them in a reasoning way. By using this significantly prosaic and reasoning language, we are able to identify ways in which a message can be conveyed through everyday conversation, ra ther than by giving a highly thought-out and eloquent speech. Similarly, the colloquial yet unusual speech of A Clockwork Orange is highly distinctive, and Alex’s vileness in A Clockwork Orange underlines the theme that human beings, no matter how depraved, shouldn’t be deprived of their freedom of self-determination. The State’s destruction of Alex’s ability to make his own moral choices represents a greater evil than any of Alex’s crimes, since turning Alex into an automaton ultimately sanctions the notion that human nature is dispensable. Alex truly grows as a human being only in the last chapter, after the government removes his conditioning and he can see the error of his ways for himself, without the prompting of an external, controlling force. In contradiction to previous points made, this restriction and deprivation of voice In conclusion, when composers use distinctive voices in their texts they allow us to better understand significant issues in the world and the people in the world who are involved in these issues, which is the nation as a whole. Great speeches offering practical solutions, optimism for the future and moral clarity can unify and motivate people in times of social conflict and racial division. Subsequently, an understanding of people and the world is developed, and a relationship between the voice and the audience is created. This can be seen clearly in JFK’s Inaugural Address, and Jessie Street’s Is It to be Back to the Kitchen? I is also highly relevant in Anthony Burgess’ classic novel A Clockwork Orange. These texts allow us to significant issues and the world and understand people and the world through the use of distinctive voices.

“A Civil Action” by Jonathan Harr

â€Å"A Civil Action† by Jonathan Harr is considered to be one of the most popular movies about legal issues.There was even film adaptation that had starred John Travolta as the protagonist lawyer. But what businessmen could learn from the story is not concerned with the legal process. The insights that this story provide is concerned with what could be the positive and negative characteristics that a businessman could have.The protagonist of the story is the flamboyant lawyer Jan Schlichtmann. The book had expressed that over-confidence could cause an individual to be off-guarded from unexpected predicaments. But what is commendable about Schlichtmann is his strong determination and perseverance. He had managed to pull himself together through their arduous legal battles with giant companies.What the book is suggesting to those in field of business is that confidence is essential but one must make sure they keep their feet on the ground.The world of business is full of risk t hat may catch businessmen off-guard just because their focus is on their achievements and profits. But more significantly, the book teaches us the importance of determination and perseverance. It is an unfortunate reality that in the business world, failure is almost inevitable. It is important for businessmen to keep a high level of determination and perseverance until success smiles upon them permanently.Work CitedHarr, Jonathan. A Civil Action. New York: Random House, Vintage Books. 1964

The Insurance Companies and the Crisis

In developed countries the size of the insurance market is about eight to twelve percent of the GDP. In the United States the assets managed by the insurance sector are higher than the assets of the banking sector. This is one of the most important pillar of the economy and financial system. At the macroeconomic point of view, level of insurance increases the financial stability of the economy, reduce uncertainty by enabling effective risk management, and support economic activity and stimulate savings and investment.Insurance sector will also increase the efficiency of the entire financial sector by reducing transaction costs, creating liquidity and economies of scale. A modern, well-functioning insurance sector is essential for achieving sustainable economic growth. With the advent of the global financial crisis, the economy is experiencing a very hard time. The insurance industry as well did not avoid the problems. Lack of access to deposited funds in the banks, insurance premium reduction or increase in number of claims, forced the insurance companies to a very difficult challenge – how to carry out current activities and pay due compensation?Many insurers began to lose its liquidity. Insurance industry as one of the few propped the financial crisis at the beginning. Insurers constantly were expanding their offer – not only just for individuals but also for business companies, and were continuing decreasing the prices for life insurance. However, it does not apply to all types of the services provided by insurance companies to entrepreneurs. Finally end of 2007 and 2008 have been rich in events associated with insurance sector.Fall in the stock market, the limitations and difficulties in accessing foreign funding, weakening the financial situation of enterprises caused rapid deterioration of the global economy and have had an impact on the financial performance of the insurance sector. Any disturbances in the banking sector directly affected t he financial results of the insurers. Insurance companies seek to ensure that activities are safe, profitable, and enable timely payment of obligations.Insurers do not give up the cash investments into shares quoted on a regulated market, which can provide significantly higher returns than investments into safe securities. On the background of European insurers’ investment exposure in 2007 and 2008 can be generalized that the most important source of losses for the insurers have proved their investments in debt securities CDOs SPV securitization companies, which face insolvency. These companies has completely lost its value and the guarantee of the solvency. After the collapse of SPV companies, liabilities took over the insurance sector.The situation of the insurance sector in 2008 were gradually deteriorating as well as the solvency ratios of individual insurance company. As an example of big problems on insurance market during crisis I would like to use IG case. The rapid f all in the share price and unsatisfactory liquidity led to lower ratings of AIG by the four major rating agencies including Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service. Standard & Poor's lowered scores for two levels because of less flexibility in raising funds for additional collateral for the loans, and concerns about the growing losses.Similarly, preserved Moody agency, which downgraded AIG for 2 degrees as well. It is clear that the company has liquidity problems. In the first three quarters of 2008, AIG Group lost 18. 5 billion of dollars. Poor results and poor ratings of AIG could cause problems to raise the capital needed to rescue the company. The company asked Central Bank for help. Finally, the government and the Fed did not committed to the downfall of a company in which millions of Americans are insured and agreed to give to AIG financial assistance.The transaction for a two-year revolving credit for 85 billion dollars to ensure the liquidity of the AIG compa ny in exchange for a nearly 80 percent. shares has been approved in September 2008. In case of problems with the implementation of the obligations of the insurer, a domino effect could embrace the whole world, AIG bankruptcy would affect banks and investment funds, which are the main holders of debt securities. In addition, AIG was a major seller of credit default swaps. Bankruptcy of the AIG could force financial institutions in the USA, Europe and Asia (that bought these swaps) to accounting losses.Fed’s decision made was based on the law given to it by the passed bill about the Federal Reserve. It allows the central bank to lend money to companies outside the banking sector under unusual and urgent circumstances. In the agreement, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson forced resignation of current AIG President Robert Willumstada, which was replaced by Edward Libby. In case of Poland, Insurance market were rapidly growing for few years before the crisis. The history of life ins urance in Poland cover a period of about 130 years.The development of life insurance in the first place was associated with an increase in wealth of the society. With the increase in GDP, which is a key determinant of economic status of the country, increased the expenditure on life insurance. In Polish conditions the development of insurance occurred in the nineteenth century. The first Polish insurance company was established in the Austrian partition and it was a Krakow Mutual Insurance Society founded in 1868 in Krakow ( as the name suggests), which a year later began conducting life insurance business.It functioned on principles similar to today's mutual insurance companies. In Poland we could observe the dynamic growth on the insurance market during last years, both in terms of the companies range of products offered and collected contributions. Privatization, further market openings, the adjustment process of the integration with the European Union, and above all the impact o f the launched in 1999 pension reform, the insurance sector are making one of the most promising sectors of the Polish economy.During recent crisis in Poland for example, were noted some main decision-making direction changes in investment policy insurance: * Repeat â€Å"opening up† of Life Insurance Companies to invest funds in real estate. * Abandonment invest their assets in investment certificates other than in the open and closed funds * Disposal of all bonds of the institutions belonging to countries outside the European Union (For Life Insurance Companies). In the current crisis in financial markets, insurance sales, as well as other products and services, has become much more difficult than before.Customers are afraid to invest in financial products and very carefully take the decision of purchasing. There is growing consensus that this crisis will survive only the best sellers. The best sellers are those who see long-term benefits of building and maintaining lasting relationships between insurer and customer. Such a relationship should be based primarily on mutual trust and benefit for both parties. It is crucial to continuously monitor changes in customer needs and proposing solutions to it, which will bring real benefits to it.The today’s internal problem of insurance companies is that insurance companies reward their brokers primarily for acquiring new customers. In life insurance commissions for the following years of the contract are much lower than thus for the first year. This is obviously the most reasonable in today's market situation, but the other side is that such system makes that the agent is much more absorbed in gaining new customers and does not think about them in the category of long-term relationships. This carries a risk of decline in the quality of sales and customer satisfaction.Another issue is the differences in the rates of commission between the products. If the agent is concentrated primarily in the fact to s ell a particular product, which has a better profit, it is likely that the actual identification of customer needs in this area is not a priority for him. Usually it will try to persuade the customer to buy through the pressure and the use of different types of manipulation. But do not forget that the customer who bought life insurance, trust bestowed on both the agent and the company and the contracts are renewable every year. The customer is also a source of new contacts.The customer is more satisfied with the purchase and maintenance, including a greater number of friends to recommend an agent and company. An interesting issue in my opinion is that in Poland close to thirteen thousand of entrepreneurs in the 2008 has opted to temporarily withdraw from the movement of the vehicle. * ‘For many of us is the only chance of surviving the crisis’ – explains Jan Kazulski, Wroclaw Transport Association The government not only allowed to the use of temporary de-registr ation of the car on a larger scale, but released from the obligation to pay by this time a full OC.This is the way how they are trying to deal with the crisis. At the adopted amendments will lose more probably insurance companies. Government explains that option of a refund of contributions for the period in which the vehicle is temporarily withdrawn from service, is already operating in several countries in Europe. The insurance sector in the economy plays a very important role, apart from this obvious, that is protective, contributes to the accumulation of capital in the economy. Accumulation of capital in most concerns life insurance.In case of Poland, despite the current financial crisis, the insurance market in Poland will grow. The pace of growth will be slower than in the past years, and customer requirements in terms of quality sales and after-sales services will increase considerably. Summing up, the financial crisis had a significant impact on insurers. For example the ins urance on Polish market has declined for about 22. 33 percent. Its value has declined by almost 9 billion zlotys – from 39 billion zlotys in 2008 to slightly over 30 billion zlotys at the end of 2009.The record level of disbursements included both property insurance and life insurance policies.Bibliography: * Gazeta Ubezpieczeniowa (Articles from Jan and Feb 2009) * Gazeta Wyborcza ‘Rekordowa strata AIG’, ToP, AFP, 2009-03-02 * http://www. quotes-r-us. org/home-insurance/current-financial-crisis-and-insurance-companies * http://articles. latimes. com/2009/mar/30/nation/na-aig30 * Yahoo! Finance, as of October 23, 2008. * Robert P. Hartwig, Ph. D. , Insurance Information Institute, â€Å"2008—First Half Results,† September 30, 2008.

Informed Consent- Legal Aspects in Health Care Essay

Informed Consent- Legal Aspects in Health Care - Essay Example In some cases, some patients may require to remove some of their body parts in order to save their life. For example, cancer patients often forced to remove their body parts like leg, hand etc in order to prevent the spreading of cancer across the body and to save their life. In such cases, the patient can decide whether to undergo such treatment or not as some people may not like to sustain their life without some of their body parts. Before removing any body parts, the doctors should take consent from the patient which is known as informed consent. This paper analyses the legal aspects involved in informed consent by analyzing the given case study of Mrs. Sparza, a 70 year old grandmother with little English skills, who is scheduled for surgery of her right eye.   According to the existing American laws with respect to informed consent, patients who are competent enough to take medical decisions have the legal and moral right to refuse or accept any or all treatment even if the decision might result in serious disability or even death (WebMD, 2010). In Mrs. Sparza’s case, upon the entry to the hospital, she and her son review the general admission documents and Mrs. Sparza signs them all. Moreover, she also completed and executed a durable power of attorney for health care and her daughter and son as her agents for decision making in the event that she became incapacitated. She also specified that she did not wish any heroic measures and that in the event she went into a coma she wanted the life support terminated.  In short, she was competent enough to take decisions about her future when she was admitted in the hospital. Mrs. Sparza visited the hospital with the intention of undergoing surgery only on her right eye. But after exami nation, the doctors informed her that she needs surgery on both the eyes. Realizing her poor knowledge in English, the doctor explained her, the necessity of

Luxury Marketing- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Luxury Marketing- - Essay Example The GDP per capita as on 2012 is $49,000 that positions it at rank 16 as compared to other countries2. 1.2 Demographic UAE is considered to have the world’s third best demographic profile after Qatar and Macau (China). According to the reports of the International Labour Organization a quarter of the population is estimated to be 4.8 million and is categorised under non-working age who are dependent either on their family members or on support from the government3. 1.3 Social and Cultural After Abu Dhabi started to export oil, the society of the country also started to transform. Emiratis are traditionally conservative but UAE is considered to one of the most liberal countries in the Gulf. Other believes and cultures are tolerated especially in Dubai4. 1.4 Technology UAE has spent about $5 billion (Dh 18.36 billion) as an investment towards technological upgradation. The main aim behind doing this was to make UAE the fastest growing region of the world in spending towards info rmation technology5. 1.5 Political Politically the region remains authoritarian. Until 2006 it remained as the as the only country that do not have elected bodies. In 2012 restriction was introduced related to usage of internet. However the authority of UAE tries to reduce the dependency on oil export and diversify the economy by creating boom in the tourism, construction and business sector6. 2. Industry Analysis 2.1 Overview Fragrance Foundation Arabia has claimed that a significant growth has been marked by the regional and global fragrance industry and is seen to get almost double from US$ 17 billion in the year 2010 to US$ 33.5 billion by 2015. More specifically a research by Euromonitor International stated that UAE has witnessed a high-end sales growth of signature products at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.4% and reach AED663.5 million by 2014. The sale in the mass fragrance for the same period is also expected to be AED247.9 million7. This is a clear indication of tha t the market of UAE has a preference for luxury goods and more specifically high-end products. 2.2 Entry Barriers The major entry barriers are the competitors operating in the market like Clive Christian, Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent who are some of the prominent players in the oud-based fragrance market. In UAE there are 3000 brands operating8. 2.3 Trends The current trends suggests that previously about 70% of the business was dominated by oud-based perfume but now it has reduced to only 30% and rest are occidental perfumes9. As per the survey record of UAE Ministry of Economy the per month average household income of the residents is AED18,248.60. The report has also revealed that the AED11,241.20 is the average household expenditure of the resident in one month with most of the income spent on drinks and food10. The age structure of UAE is 20.6% of the total population is between the age group of 0-14 years (male 577,599 and female 551,346), 13.8% is between the age group of 15-24 years (male 449,258 and female 306,410), 61.5% is between the age group of 22-54 years (male 2,570,054 and female 798,070), 3.1% is between the age group of 55-64 years (male 127,569 and female 40,996) and only 1% is above 65 years (male 33,481 and female 19,189) as on 201311. 2.4 Success factors Lifestyle of the people has changed. Now they want to look good and in fact smell good. Strong economy has made the region and the fragrance sector more lucrative. Growth in the expat population also plays a major role in

Observation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Observation - Assignment Example After calling the pharmacy to consult on the use of aspirin during pregnancy, the following observations were made; the phone was answered after 3 minutes. First the phone was answered by machine, but after following the instructions, it was immediately re-directed to a real person who was fluent in English. The person who answered was very respectful and asked how they could help. After sharing the question, they requested to get some more background information first before proceeding to answer the question. The person was knowledgeable and helpful but seemed to follow a set of questions or a certain protocol while interacting. Out of five, Walgreen deserves to be ranked number three because of its proper services and adherence to protocol. The following recommendations would assist in fixing customer service deficiency; Walgreens contact centre provides its clients with access to a comprehensive array of medical services, all of which are offered through one phone call. In conventional consultation, one doctor is only able to cater for one specialty area, while the contact centre provides access to all the services available in the facility. This benefits the customer and improves their experience in using the services of Walgreens. Similar to the need of having well informed agents at the introductory point of contact in the hospital, the customer care agents have sufficient information on the operations of the hospital (Calvert, 2004). Walgreens customer care agents handle a wide range of cases and are able to perform different tasks over the phone while still communicating with the client. They can trace a client in the facility, schedule appointments with the doctor for the caller, among other crucial tasks. Contact centre staffs are regularly the first face of the medical facility. Walgreens customer care agents are well

Your vision of leadership (Double Weighted) Assignment

Your vision of leadership (Double Weighted) - Assignment Example Various theories of leadership have been developed, and various styles of leadership have been embraced. There are various theories and models of leadership that have been formulated. It has also been evidenced that individuals portray various leadership styles (Choosing the Right Approach for the Situation, 2015). In fact, great leaders are able to combine the various styles of leadership to achieve their objectives and set targets. Naturalist theory of leadership establishes that leaders are born (Leadership theories, leadership models and leadership principles, 2015). According to the theory, the traits of a great leader can be seen from the early years of development of a child. The children do not need to acquire any special form of training to make admirable leaders in the society. Going through the theory, memories of my childhood flash through my mind. I remember instances where I would allocate duties to my siblings who were older than me. I would mobilize friends and neighbors to do general clean-up activities in the homestead. I would like to be a transformational leader. Transformational leadership is mostly applicable to the business environment. The traits that put transformational leaders above others are their high level of integrity, empathy, and humility. Their problem-solving skills coupled with conflict resolution techniques highly boost the growth of the enterprises they work in. They set precise goals and are able to motivate other employees who share in his beliefs (Leadership Styles, 2015). Transformational leaders are immensely productive. Jack Welch, a retired Chief Executive Officer of General Electric, was a leader of great valor. He is a result-oriented individual, who through his zeal and effort caused the rapid growth of the firm. I get inspired by his stories of how he turned the company around. He inspires me be to be more and achieve greater results. The school of

Chapter 14 discussion question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chapter 14 discussion question - Essay Example One of the goals of all managers is to maximize shareholder’s wealth. The community that lost those jobs will perceive the CEO to be an immoral and unethical person that has no sense of patriotism. The made in America label has a lot of value in the United States consumer markets. 2. There are hundreds of examples of ethical and unethical behavior in the business world. A case of an unethical act that occurred over a decade ago is the Nike Corporation sweetshop scandal. Nike Corporation is one of the leading apparels and shoe manufacturers in the world. Back in the 1990s Nike expanded its operation into several developing countries. The reason the firm choose these locations was to save in labor and operating costs. The company lost control and a managerial staff composed of immoral leaders created sweetshops at these locations. A sweetshop is a shop or factory in which employees work long hours for low pay in an unsafe working environment (Merriam-webster, 2011). An example o f a company that is using high ethical standards in its operating decisions is Starbucks Cafe. Starbucks Cafe sources its coffee using a practice known as fair trade coffee. Fair trade coffee guarantees poor farmers a price of $1.26 per pound of coffee which is twice the going rate for that product. 3. Unethical behavior can occur for a leader that has proper values and intentions. The reason that this can occur is that ethics is relative to the person or group that analyzes an act. A simple way to visualize ethics in the corporate world is through the stakeholder perspective. Each stakeholder group is going to react differently to an action. A leader may have great intentions and proper values, but sometimes budgetary constraints force the hand of a leader. If a leader closes down an operation knowing that the community needs those jobs the person despite wanting to help was force to make a decision that will be viewed as unethical by the community. 4. The glass ceiling effect that limits the managerial opportunities for women occurs for a variety of reasons. Our society believes the positions of power are better handled by men. In the United States there has never been a woman president. In the past there were more men in the workforce than women. The current trend is for more women to continue to enter the labor force. As of 2004 women represented 46% of the US labor force (Dol, 2004). Another social stigma that has helped men get better paying jobs is the belief that the man is supposed to be the provider of the household. It is also possible also that man visualize women as a threat to the corporate power structure which has historically been dominated by men. 5. In order to level the playing so that women can have better job opportunities including managerial spots at the executive level companies have to change from within. The corporate culture of companies has to change. The executive managerial staff has to implement strategic diversity plans. To tar get the problem of the lack of women in corporate management firms could create managerial training programs that utilized quotas to ensure enough women are getting a chance. Based on the fact that 46% of the labor force is composed of women a fair quota would be a 54:46 split. The use of quotas will also ensure that ethnic minorities are properly represented in the managerial ranks. Our educational system has to do a better job at recruiting women

An empirical analysis of islamic online banking in Malaysia(with Essay

An empirical analysis of islamic online banking in Malaysia(with empirical evidences) - Essay Example In addition, Malaysian Islamic banking assets are valued at U.S $ 65.5 billion and a growth rate of 18-20% per annum (Mckinsey, 2008). This suggests Malaysia has elaborate mechanisms that facilitate Muslim-specific financial needs. Consequently, as a result of its development, Islamic banking in Malaysia offers a myriad of sharia compliant online products to its customers. Islamic banking in Malaysia had its activities launched in 1983 after the establishment of the Bank Islam Malaysia Berhadad (BIMB) (Khir et al. 2008). Since its establishment, the banking system has developed to include a wide range of products, with Malaysian Islamic financial system considered as the most progressive system in offering different products in the Islamic economic world (Haron & Ahmed, 2011). Retail banking is one of the major products in Malaysian Islamic banking system. Retail banking targets a wide range of customer segment that include the awqaf employees, religious conservatives, miftis and any employee of the ministry of Muslim affairs (Garbois et al., 2012).Online products offered under this product include sms banking, credit card-i online application, all which account holders can operate online. Moreover, other services such as e-sadaqah, e-zakat. Payment of bills, reloading accounts, inter and intra bank transfers, which retail account holders can effect o nline through internet banking (Bank Islam Malaysia, 2009). Garbois et al. (2012) noted the Islamic banking sector in Malaysia has extended corporate banking products that target leading investors in the country. Through online banking services, corporate account holders in Malaysia may view the status of their accounts, loan balances, the status of any payments, view and download statements, effect intra and interbank transfers, pay bills, facilitate foreign funds transfers and make automatic payment to pay rolls through Autopay. Khir et al. (2008) further noted that a major product

What is the Electoral College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is the Electoral College - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the Electoral College attempts to propose and elect districts’ representatives, states’ governors and the President and vice president of the United States of America. The Electoral College comprises of 538 electors selected from all over the states of the US. The number of electors in each state always coincides with the number of the district representatives and the two senators usually representing a state. The Electoral College was established with the sole aim of neutralizing the conflicts of interest among various states fighting to forward their particular candidate for the presidential position. The Electoral College was also established to facilitate the election of preferred candidates at each state level in order to avert .cases of corruption, bribery, and foreign influence. The Electoral College was also set to address issues of imbalance between the legislative and executive federal branches of federal governments by prohibiting Congress and employees of the federal government from voting. Furthermore, the Electoral College was designated to prevent citizens from electing sons of their regions by commissioning voting for two presidential candidates one of whom is from another state. It is worth acknowledging the significant roles played by the Electoral Colleges in the election ‘system of the US since its formation. One of the significant roles played by the Electoral College involves a contribution to the reconciliation and cohesiveness the by advocating and backing for a popularly elected candidate.

Compare and Contrast between Ethics and Law Essay

Compare and Contrast between Ethics and Law - Essay Example The fundamental purpose of both ethics, as well as the Law, is to moderate the behavior of the individual in the society. Both seek to regulate misguided human emotions from causing harm to the society and himself. Ethics has generally been considered as the â€Å"law of nature† or the â€Å"law of God†. From the beginning of civilization, man has always come to realize the dichotomy of right and wrong which is demonstrated by the universal thread of morality that runs through the worlds’ diverse cultures. Law in the present age has come to be extremely diversified. There is now a corporate lawyer to govern the interactions of business organizations, a civil law to tackle general affairs, international law to deal with the affairs of sovereign states and intellectual property law to deal with knowledge and knowledge dissemination. Correspondingly, there has come to be a Business ethics, biomedical ethics, corporate ethics and so on. All legal systems are derived from ethical systems of one kind or the other. Just as there are dissensions in the interpretations of the law, there are also different kinds of ethics. Hedonism, Cyrenaic Hedonism, Epicureanism, stoicism, utilitarian ethics, realism etc have extended their influence on significant subsections of the intellectual globe. This apparent absence of unity does not nullify the content of either law or ethics. It has been commented upon by various authors, that the ultimate interpretation of any law or statute rests on the presiding judge. In making his individual ruling, the judge relies to a large extent on his ethical convictions. In the famous Roe Vs Wade trial pertaining to the legality of abortion, five  judges ruled in favor while three dissented. These judges no doubt knew that there were no legal grounds to deny an abortion in the specific trial but they considered it a breach of morality to deny the right to life of a potential human being.

Understanding Organizational Performance Essay Example for Free

Understanding Organizational Performance Essay The focus of this paper will be on investigating an organization, their performance management system and our recommendations for the future. Historically performance management is defined as evaluation a firm through metrics such as return on investment and economic value added. Our analysis will cover not only the financial performance of our chosen firm, but also their values in behaviors as well as their objectives. Thus, we will ascertain if the current system of performance management held by the firm is aligned with their objectives and appropriate for their situation. 1.1 – Why is strategic performance management important? Strategic performance management is a process where an organization develops its objectives, mission, and strategy, and measures and guides itself through management of key performance indicators or other success factors. Czarnecki (1999), states that measuring your organizations performance through each of the areas of most impact is essential for thoroughly assessing your performance. Thus when a firm like TESCO is preparing to make decisions they need to analyze a relevant data which can be converted into actionable information on their performance objectives. 1.2 – Describe the structure and plan of the investigation The structure of this investigation will be to first discuss the organization and its activities in the sector. Secondly, we will discuss the history of performance management of the organization and the relation between their systems and the actual performance. Finally, we conclude with highlighting any areas of improvement and making recommendations for seni or management. 2.0 – Performance Management in TESCO TESCO has employed a system called the TESCO steering wheel to handle performance measurement. This process is similar to the balanced scorecard created by Norton and Kaplan. The TESCO steering wheel was implemented in the late 1990’s and served as part of the critical expansion that the firm underwent as they explored innovative retail formats, product lines, and geographic areas. It can be attributed to their newfound success. 2.1 – Introduction to TESCO The organization that we will be investigating will be TESCO. TESCO is one of the largest retailers in the world and an organization which has shown success in utilizing strategic performance management. There are several styles of performance management which range from Porter’s five forces, to lean management, to the chaos model. The model which was discovered in 1996 and has been one of the most popular is the balanced scorecard. This model which was discovered by Norton and Kaplan has been used by  ¾ of European and Fortune 500 organizations (Balanced Scorecard, 2010). TESCO is unique in that it has implemented this model successfully. In 1995, Tesco surpassed its competitors Sainsbury’s as the top superstore in the United Kingdom. This catapulted its market shares from 15.4% in 1988 to about 29% in 2004. Acquisitions include the famed convenience superstore, TS plc and almost 900 stores around the UK. TESCO has a 30% market share in the United Kingdom and is dominating the market over its competitors. 2.2 – Why are they in business (Stakeholder or Shareholder?) TESCO is in business and highly successful because their founder was a driving force in setting up a foundation of a thriving market in the UK early on. He believed in piling products high and selling them at a cheap price. Since, the company has gone public they have placed close attention to the desires of the shareholders and places the fifth perspective of the steering wheel (financial) as a big component in the performance of their executives. Spitzer (2007) stated that holistic performance measurement enables management to continually assess the fruits of their labor with conducting a review. 2.3 – Strategic performance management of TESCO In regard to investing in their workforce, TESCO believes strongly that human capital is one of their most precious resources. The organization has their â€Å"options programme† which is designed to focus on long-term strategic goals for employees. They also have on job training, which is a cost effective way to ensure that their staff is capable of performing well. Tesco Leadership Framework is directed at three key themes to guide behavior in all employees. These behaviors link to nine critical success factors. The critical success factors can be segmented in several levels of assessment. This aids management in selecting the staff with the capacity to become high performing contributors to organisations. As part of the long term  strategy of the corporation, discovering future leaders is of the utmost importance. TESCO states that they will select leaders wherever they can be found in the organization for advancement. Promotions are a regular occurrence as over 2,900 man agers were promoted internally in the United Kingdom and literally thousands more in international locations. The Options programme is a more infrequently used as only 1 in 30 employees are enrolled while basic training and development happens about every 1 in 10 members of TESCO. Before beginning their development plan, each member of the TESCO staff selects gaps in their skills and competencies. The Personal Development Plan has a section where they can select this information for their line managers to check on in the future. 2.4 – What is strategic performance management? Who says so? The balanced scorecard is the most widely used standard for performance management. As mentioned before, performance management is defined as reaching objectives which can be quantified financially. Performance most times is just simply put as achieving success in your business operations. Therefore, performance means process and manner of functioning to attain beforehand objectives which you set out to achieve. Therefore, behavior must be tied to a result which will be judge throughout the fiscal year of operations for the firm. The balanced scorecard is an excellent tool to keep the organization planning and strategizing forward rather than assessing their operation based on past results. Performance management in many organizations is conducted and reported by line managers who are continuously overseeing employees and operations and giving a formal review at designated times. The values, mission, and objectives of the organizations are intertwined with the financial value added so that the process is flexible and requires less dialogue unless a major event occurs. 2.5 – Is performance management evident at a strategic level in TESCO? On the executive level of the firm compensation is closely tied to the performance of the firm which is common for most public firms. Earlier in 2012 it was found that performance bonuses were slashed to 16.9 per cent of the maximum. This was due to the fact that TESCO was behind its competitors in the UK in terms of sales in 2011 and the top 5,000 managers felt the pain of the company’s shortcomings. 3.0 – TESCO’s Activities and Environment TESCO is a global organization with facilities in over 14 nations and their headquarters being in the United Kingdom with 260 million plus as clients available at their hub. Their outlets have several different types of styles from hypermarket, to non-food item stores, to membership clubs. If one would take into consideration the enormous size of TESCO, it is easy to see that they would require a strategic performance management system which is flexible and nimble. Jones (2012) states that global organization need to have a holistic approach towards managing their operations and not a segmented method. This is crucial in the retail market. The retail market is nonetheless a competitive industry with commoditized stores and international competition in many of the markets the TESCO operates in. Therefore, TESCO has chosen the balanced scorecard approach which has given them success. 3.1 – What activities does TESCO engage in and in what sector? TESCO is a global grocery and merchandise corporation which was founded in the United Kingdom. The organization started IN 1919 with the retail sale of groceries and has diversified its product mix to include electronics, furniture, clothing, and books. Therefore, the company operates in multiple sectors and has a presence on every continent. The company used the aggressive strategy and approach of Jack Cohen to become one of the largest retail outlets on the planet behind only Carrefour and Wal-Mart. Sectors include: Groceries, electronics, financial services, petrol, telecommunications, clothing, music downloads 3.2 – What context does TESCO’s performance management fit in? Organizational performance can be viewed from a number of perspectives. We see that through the eyes of the customer TESCO was perceived as supplying excellent value and service. This perception was sufficient to place them as the top brand when they surpassed Sainsbury. Organizational performance can also be evaluated through financial, social, and environmental perspectives. This is where performance management at TESCO fits in. The TESCO steering wheel is a model internally shows that the firm has a holistic view towards management (Paul, 2008). This relationship exemplifies the relationship with decision making and performance where executives place emphasis on making decisions based on how far reaching the impactions are. 3.3 – Are TESCO’s performance measurements appropriate to that context? Yes, their performance measurements are actively aligned with the core assets which are integral to the success of  their organization. 4.0 – Managing Performance to Improve Decision-making: Specific example in IT Services The British retailer recently implemented a programme called Step Change, to advance its IT efficiency. Tesco placed a large amount of capital in information technology across its operations in the hopes it will keep up with the 21st century trends which lead to more mobile payments, ecommerce and efficiency gains through IT. In the earlier part of 2008, food sales over the internet made large gains of 49% higher in the last financial year, which lead to even more investment. 4.1 – What type of strategy does TESCO adopt? TESCO implements the balanced scorecard through the TESCO steering wheel. The steering wheel has 5 perspectives which cover different areas. The corporate vision and strategy of TESCO is motivated by its customer base, products, services, and the industry that it operates in. Upper management understands that margins can be slim in an industry where competition is tight and becoming a strong brand with heterogeneous image is important. Corporate strategy is inherently focused on financial gain which can be problematic of other objectives are not met (Graham, 2005). The component has lent itself back to business school basics by relying on the teachings of Porter’s five forces model. The model teaches that bargaining power of suppliers, customers, substitutes, buyers, and competitors are working against at any one moment in time. ASDA and Sainsbury due pose threats to TESCO domestically in the UK as they are established have developed brands which are perceived to have equal or greater value in the eye of the customer. Nevertheless, the threats of suppliers moving to their competitors are slimmer as TESCO has made great strides in infrastructure. The Perspectives Customer – Being an affordable and friendly retailer is crucial for TESCO. The customer is seen as the focus as competing products and sales channels can be seen more frequently with technology. Internal – Operations which are run smoothly with excellent customer service leads to keeping costs low and clients happy. TESCO is proactive in this area by offering club cards, and loyalty program with discounts and rewards. Learning – This perspective is seen through training, learning and focused supervision on employees so that they are nurtured to achieve their potential. Financial – Increasing sales,  optimizing investments, and keeping the shareholders happy are the focus of this perspective. Community – Corporate social responsibility is a key word as it relates to this perspective. TESCO was known to have a high carbon footprint, and it has strived to not only reinvest in the community, but reinvest it operates so that there is a keen interest in having a positive social impact. 4.2 – How does TESCO formulate its strategy? TESCO formulates its strategy based on the desires of the customer. According to Terry Leahy, Tesco’s Chief Executive, he states this clearly when he says â€Å"Let me tell you a secret, the secret of successful retailing. It’s this: never stop listening to your customers and giving them what they want.† This is the methodology which makes the organization one of the most successful in the world as every little contribution counts as long as it is helping build the bond between TESCO and its consumer base. This is the rationale behind the corporate strategy which is measured by the TESCO steering wheel. Axson (2010) stated that long term decision making is more soundly aligned with a balance array of operational strengths. This supports the decision which management has made it this firm. 4.3 – What are TESCO’s performance objectives? Does performance match expectations? TESCO’s performance objectives are essentially its 5 perspectives which are different areas covered in the steering wheel. Because the steering wheel is like the balanced score card it has a method of leading to performance which addresses TESCO’s impact on the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) and allows the company to match and exceed expectations in several areas. Lunger (2007) states that the 21st century problems facing each and every organization requires incorporation of corporate stewardship into your overall strategy. 4.4 – How does TESCO inform its decision-making through performance? What tool does it use? TESCO utilizes the Balanced Scorecard method which is closely aligned with its corporate strategy. 4.5 – Critical evaluate of the tool, its benefits, limitations and it’s appropriateness to TESCO’s strategy The benefits of the tool also stem into the fact as it became a symbol of cohesion and empowerment within the firm. TESCO’s leader, Sir Terry Leahy, stated that he did not want strategy to be the work of only an isolated few individuals in the firm but the work of all of his employees. That is when the company started using the steering wheel in all  of their locations. Sir Terry Leahy ended up shutting down the strategy department completely (Jones, 2012). This was definitely seen as a controversial move as it meant that the executive level where not the sole contributor to what historically is the vision of the firm. The limitation of TESCO’s strategy here is that it is somewhat segmented in its approach as there will be no stores which are identical because they will all be run independently with their own steering wheels. This works agai nst the model that many retailers have at claiming to offer the same experience at every location. 4.6 – Identify areas for improvement A weakness for the company would be performance in the UK. Therefore development of Domestic operations is a major area of improvement for TESCO. The New CEO who succeeded Sir Leahy, Clarke, has vowed to make it an objective to have their profits in the UK become strong and growing. This is an admission of the company falling short of its expected performance for the most recent year. Part of the reasoning behind is the spectacular growth internationally of TESCO due its profits lent to underlying underperformance domestically as it has lost ground to ASDA and Sainsbury and the last three years. Crisis Management and Quality control falls under the community and customer perspective of the TESCO wheel (Marr, 2009). TESCO is reported to not have performed well in the backlash of a recent issue with suppliers and its grocery line. Recently, in early 2013, the media in the United Kingdom reported that horse meat had been found in some meat products sold by this organization, particularl y burgers. The company was quick to state that this was unacceptable activity. 5.0 – Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 – Review and summary of your investigative findings The overall review of the findings of our report shows that TESCO is in good financial condition and its corporate strategy has achieved its objectives. The strategy has always been customer centric but it has been fruitful in economic value added and financial performance. Austerity has been a large issue in the European Union over the last few years and can bear the brunt of the blame in the lagging performance that TESCO has domestically in comparison to overseas. TESCO has seen strong growth in the United States as well as Asia. The dividend policy is forward looking at TESCO and the  overall change in management still needs time for the market to evaluate. When Sir Terry Leahy left TESCO stock crashed but has recovered. Still, the defensive position in the UK which TESCO has built over the years is proving to be vital as they weather the forces of competition domestically. 5.2 – Recommendations for identifying areas for improvement In regard to operations management, I would recommend that Tesco continue their use of the TESCO Steering wheel and invest stronger in internationally markets like Asia. Tescos highest growth came in Asia where profits grew by 30% to  £570m in 2011 (Hawke, 2011). The need to focus on the community and internal perspectives with innovations is what I see as the focus for the future. The opportunity to win back business from their competitors will require emerging a corporate citizen who cares about loyalty and the well-being of their consumer base will go a long way. This can be obtained by re-examining the performance management systems and not believing that their historical strength will continue to prove valuable in a competitive retail market. TESCO recently invested 500 million GBP as a stimulus package called â€Å"Building a better TESCO† and it has shown lackluster results thus far (Hawke, 2011). In terms of corporate strategy, I believe that creating a performance management group which oversees the effectiveness of the steering wheels domestically would be a great next step. Hope (2012) argued that utilizing your performance management tools sometimes entails injecting the human element into the equation. TESCO uses steering wheels in all of its location and loyalty cards to keep customers feeling connected and appreciated. If TESCO invests in a performance management team which can monitor remotely the performance of the UK stores in community and financial perspectives they can consistently support growth in these locations where their performance is not as strong as overseas. 5.3 – Implementation plan for recommendations Overall, TESCO’s use of strategic performance management has been successful and I would recommend keeping the steering wheel intact. The model fits naturally with their objectives and mission for the future. This has been instrumental in overcoming threats from other organizations as well as allowing them to focus on growth potential. Recommendation #1 is to invest in Asian markets more aggressively in 2013. This recommendation can be  implemented by identifying areas for growth in existing markets where TESCO has a presence and building more stores. Establishing sales channels in these markets was a strategic investment which the company has already made and can be further utilized to extract and attract more profits. Recommendation #2 is to establish a performance management team to oversee domestic steering wheel systems for TESCO. The success of the corporation has been about measuring less with their tools and focuses more on customers. The focus of this team would be to provide more support to underperforming stores by supplementing by coaching them through their steering wheel templates and shopping lists. References Business Case Studies UK. â€Å"How training and development supports business growth† Graham, Kenny, (2005), â€Å"Strategic Planning and performance management† Taylor and Sons Marr, B., (2009), Delivering Success: How Tesco is Managing, Measuring and Maximizing its Performance, Management Case Study, The Advanced Performance Institute. De Wall, Andre, (2007). â€Å"Strategic Performance Management: a managerial and behavioral approach†. Unknown Axson, David A. (2010), â€Å"Best Practices and Planning and performance management† Wiley John and Sons. Katter, P. John, Heskett L. James, (1992), â€Å"Corporate Culture and Performance† Kotter Associates. Hope, Jeremy, (2012), â€Å"Beyond Performance Management, how and when to use 40 tools† Harvard Business Review. Hawke, Alex, (2011), â€Å"TESCO Reports record profits of 3.8 Bn† Guardian.co.uk Marr, Bernard, (2006), â€Å"Strategic Performance Management† Butterworth-Hineman, Oxford. Lunger, K., 2007, â€Å"A performance Management Primer: Why you need more than a dashboard to manage your strategy.† TESCO PLS (2010) (2011) from Tesco Corporate Paul, R. (2008) Balanced Scorecard: for Government and non-Profit Agencies. Canada: John Wiley Marr, Bernard, (2010), â€Å"The Intelligent Company, Five Steps to success with evidence based \management† Wiley, Oxford. Jones, Steve. 2012, â€Å"Strategic Performance Management, A Case Study at TESCO† Czarnecki, Mark T. (1999), â€Å"Managing by Measuring, how to improve your organization’s performance through effective benchmarking†. The Benchmarking Network Spitzer, Dean, (2007), â€Å"Transforming Performance Measurement: rethinking the way we measure†. AMACOM.

The Objective Of Green Building Concept Environmental Sciences Essay

The Objective Of Green Building Concept Environmental Sciences Essay Buildings, as offices, are responsible for around forty percent of the expenses borne by the business in operations. It is estimated that by the year 2050, the residential and office buildings will consume thirty eight percent of the total global energy and will release three thousand eight hundred mega tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Green Building is a technique of constructing buildings using processes and materials which are environment friendly and energy efficient at the same time. Buildings require air, water, energy and space for its occupants. These are provided by systems in place like the ventilation system, the water supply system and the electricity supply system. The materials which are used in the construction of the building also produce environmental impact like carbon footprint, pollution through wastes and slurry, and the consumption of water and power. Buildings are one of the major sources of pollution that cause air pollution and are responsible for climate change. The objective of green building concept is to develop buildings which use the natural resources to the minimal at the time of construction as well as operation. Green buildings emphasize on the resource usage efficiency and also press upon the three Rs Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The technique of green building maximizes the use of efficient construction materials and practices; boosts the use of natural sources and sinks in the buildings surroundings; minimizes the energy usage to run itself; uses highly proficient equipment for the indoor area; uses highly proficient methods for water and waste management. The indoor equipment includes lighting, air-conditioning and all other needed equipment. Green Building is a team effort and the designing and construction include consultants from architecture and landscaping, air conditioning, plumbing, energy and electrical areas. These consultants have to assess the impact of the each and every design on the environment, keeping in mind the cost involved. The final design needs to be feasible and should minimize the negative impacts that the building would have on the environment. Implementation of the green building concept can lead to a reduction of carbon emission by thirty five percent, water usage by forty percent, solid waste reduction by seventy percent and reduction in energy consumption by fifty percent. Green Building concept also emphasizes on the fact that an area with high biodiversity should be avoided as a site for the construction of a building. To ensure minimum negative impact on the environment by the construction and operation of a building, the factors which are to be kept in mind are to preserve the external environment to the building location; to improve the internal area for the residents of the building; and also preserve the areas which are not close to the building. Saving Energy Energy saving through green building concept occurs in two ways. First is reduction in the amount of energy that is consumed in lighting, air conditioning and other building operations. Second is the usage of energy sources which do not produce any greenhouse gases and are renewable in nature. Green Buildings emphasize more on natural lighting and concepts of temperature control and efficient design to further reduce the carbon footprint as well as reduce cost of operation. Saving water Green Buildings use various methods to reduce water usage, treat and reuse waste water and filter water from sourced from precipitation. The target is to be able to achieve zero water table negative impact from the green building. Reducing Waste Waste reduction is one of the most important issues that are to be dealt with. In the US alone, the waste from construction and demolition of buildings accounts for sixty percent of the total non-industrial waste. Green Building concept emphasizes on improving the design of the product, re-using and recycling materials. It results in tremendous waste reduction and also helps to reduce the environmental impact of the building. Improving Health and Productivity Hygiene and proper conditions inside the building also help in boosting human productivity. Hence various businesses concentrate on this aspect. Green Building concept provides for cleanliness and sound working conditions for employees and other inhabitants. Green Building concept in USA: Green building markets in the United States of America (USA), account for five to ten percent of the total building market. The largest organisation for green building in USA is the US Green Building Council (USGBC). It has over twelve thousand member organizations and is around a financial worth of over twelve billion dollars. Some of the rating systems that have been developed for green building concept are: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Globes, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), International Codes Council and American National Standards Institute. In USA, the existing buildings are accounting for forty percent of total energy consumption, twelve percent of total water usage, sixty eight percent of electricity usage, thirty eight percent of carbon dioxide emission and sixty percent of non-industrial waste generation. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System: LEED rating system was developed in USA by the US Green Building Council in the year 1998. It provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction of building using a market-based rating system. This rating system is being followed in the US and many other countries for the evaluation of sustainable building. LEED can be defined for new constructions, existing buildings, commercial buildings and schools. Buildings which have been recognized to be eligible for LEED are offices, retail establishments, institutional buildings and service establishments. LEED rating system provides a variety of benefits and cost savings. The benefits include reducing the operating costs, reducing resource utilizations in terms of water and electricity, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The other cost savings includes the tax rebates and zone allowances. LEED rating system provides four levels of rating to a building design: Certified 26-32 pts Silver 33-38 pts Gold 39-51 pts Platinum 52-69 pts The points are obtained by the building through the following design issues: Sustainable sites 14 pts Innovation and design 5 pts Energy and atmosphere 17 pts Indoor quality 15 pts Materials and resources 13 pts Water efficiency 5 pts Green Building concept in India In India, a number of agencies are involved in the Green Building concept execution and monitoring. The major agencies are Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) was established in 1974 and is headquartered at New Delhi. TERI has developed a new rating system for Green Building assessment. This rating system is called Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA). In India, both the LEED and the GRIHA rating systems are followed along with the Energy Conservation Building Code 2007 given by BEE. Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) rating system: GRIHA was developed by TERI and has been adopted by the ministry of new and renewable resources. It takes into account the variations in the climate, architectural practices followed and the practices for construction and also keeps the National Building Code 2005 as well as the Energy Conservation Building Code 2007. GRIHA has been specially created keeping in mind the non-air conditioned and the partially air conditioned buildings. GRIHA provides ratings for institutional, residential and commercial buildings. The emphasis is on the national concerns for environment, the weather and climate conditions, and providing solutions. According to the information collected, the following hypothesis is formulated: H: The benefits of Green Building approach are significantly greater than the costs incurred to go green Green Building concept and corporate sustainability: For corporations, green building concept comes with a bundle of benefits. The benefits include: Potentially higher capital value in the future for the building Risk of obsolescence decreases The demand from institutional investors increases Operating costs reduce for the building The attrition for the tenant decreases The maintenance cost reduces The need for refurbishment in the future decreases Green Building concept also helps in ensuring that the business stays insulated from any energy price increase in the future Cost and Benefits of Green Buildings: Figure : Source: Greening our built world: Costs, Benefits and Strategies The major barrier found towards Green Building concept, through research conducted, is the widespread perception amongst people that the upfront costs involved in the development of a green building are significantly higher than those of conventional buildings. In a survey, by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in the year 2007, it was found that the people perceived the green buildings initial setup costs to be higher than the conventional buildings by 17 percent. This perception of the people was found to be wrong. 170 buildings were analysed in the research in Greening our built world. The analysis revealed that the green buildings cost, on an average, less than 2 percent more than the conventional buildings, also providing a large range of additional benefits. The same survey, by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, also found that the people perceive buildings to produce around 20 percent of the CO2 emission. This perception is also wrong since buildings produce around 40 percent of the world CO2 emissions. The architects and the developers interviewed from these 170 buildings gave information on the premium, in terms of cost of turning green. The following figure illustrates the cost premium that is incurred, in green building development according to the levels of certification by LEED rating system. It shows that more than 80 out of the 170 buildings analysed have incurred less than 2 percent premium in going green. Figure : Source: Greening Our Built World: Costs, Benefits and Strategies The average costs and benefits analysed through the research are also listed in the form of a graph. It provides a comparison of the additional costs incurred by going green in schools and offices, and the simultaneous benefits received. The graph clearly suggests that the benefits far outweigh the costs incurred. Figure : Source: Greening Our Built World: Costs Benefits and Strategies Another perception that people have about green buildings is that a green building necessarily has to air conditioned. This perception is also proved wrong by the application of green building concepts to some of the Indian like the Gulbarga and the Hyderabad Institute of Technology and Management. The third misleading perception about green buildings that people have is that green buildings typically take more time to be developed than a conventional building. This perception is also not true. (Urban Sustainability and Green Buildings for the 21st Century, 2009) Hunzinger Construction University Case: Hunzinger Construction University achieved Platinum level LEED certification in Green Building concept. It has been able to achieve savings in water, energy and increased usage of green materials. Water efficiency has been achieved through various measures like dual flush water closet, waterless urinals and efficient lavatory faucets. These methods have led to a saving of 7700 gallons of water per annum. Energy efficiency was achieved using intelligent lighting systems which could control light intensity and power usage, and work with the day light intensity control. Automatic shut-off systems were also used. Using these techniques, HCU has achieved more than 34 percent reduction in power density, significantly more than the specifications of ANSI. HCU has opted for green power generation like solar panels and wind power, to minimise its power requirements from conventional power sources. The construction material used in the HCU comprised of more than 57 percent of salvaged recycled materials. These practices have led to a decreased operation cost as well as reduced impact on environment. The case has been published in Journal of Green Building, 2008. Woods Hole Research Centre Case: Woods Hole Research Centre (WHRC) is an independent, non-for-profit, NGO with core focus on environmental studies, education and creation of new and innovative policies. The research facility spans 19,300 sq. feet and has been designed with the target of achieving zero net-energy building status. It has been fitted with a solar photovoltaic system on the roof and a wind turbine for electricity generation. The design of building provides natural lighting to reduce energy consumption and also provides for insulation materials which are CFC-free. The HVAC system installed in the complex provides for an energy efficient heating, cooling and ventilation. The target of the photovoltaic system is to provide for 33 percent of the energy requirements of the complex while the rest is provided by the wind powered turbine system. The facility requires a total of 90964 kiloWatt-hour electrical energy, out of which 60720 kiloWatt-hour was provided by utility grid and the remaining 30244 kiloWatt-h our was provided by the Photovoltaic System. The case is an extract from the Journal of Green Building, 2008. The following figure compares the energy intensity of the Woods Hole Research Centres other facilities, average of US offices and the newly constructed WHRC facility. Figure : Source: Journal of Green Building, volume 3, 2008 Nordheim Court Case: Nordheim Court is a student housing facility for University of Washington. It forms a great example of the operational and setup benefits of green building concept with the right choice of strategies. The building has been constructed with a budget of 85 dollars per sq. feet. The energy efficiency of the building far surpasses the Washington State Energy Code standards and the water consumption in the building is less by 30 percent than a conventional building. The construction waste has been diverted to prevent 589 tonnes of landfills. This procedure of waste diversion has also resulted in a saving of 14582 dollars. University of Sunshine Coast Chancellery Case: University of Sunshine Coast is located in Queensland, Australia. One of the parts of the university called the Chancellery has been designed on green building standards. The total fossil fuel based energy consumption of the building is around 133 kiloWatt-hour per sq. metre which is less than the 152 kiloWatt-hour per sq. metre. The building uses a combined mode of ventilation system which provides natural ventilation as well as fully air conditioned area without any natural ventilation. This helps in reducing the CO2 emissions from the building. The lighting system used in the building also uses natural light and light intensity control systems to provide better energy efficiency to the building. (St. Clair, Peter Hyde, Richard, 2009) Green Building performance in India Name of the Project Location Built-up Area (sq ft.) Rating Achieved Increase in Cost (percent) Payback Period (Years) CII-Sorabji Godrej GBC Hyderabad 20,000 Platinum 18 7 ITC Green Centre Gurgaon 170,000 Platinum 15 6 Wipro Gurgaon 175,000 Platinum 8 5 Technopolis Kolkata 72,000 Gold 6 3 Spectral Services Consultants Office Noida 15,000 Platinum 8 4 HITAM Hyderabad 78,000 Silver 2 3 Grundfos Pump Chennai 40,000 Gold 6 3 Figure : Source: CII According to studies, in a project worth 5 million dollars, an additional expenditure on green building concept of 100 thousand dollars results in a saving of 1 million dollars over a period of 20 years. One Indiabulls Centre in Lower parel, Mumbai is a fine case of green building initiatives that have been undertaken in India. The material usage in the centre have been through use of fly ash in concrete, recycled metal content in steel used, low VOC content paints, efficient HVAC systems. The centre also includes a sewage treatment plant, solar panels for heating water, water harvesting system as well as a roof top garden. Figure : Source: Indiabulls Real Estate The cost benefit analysis from the project of One Indiabulls Centre is given below. The savings resulting from the concept of green building is substantial. Figure : Source: CII, Indiabulls Real Estate

Impact of Gender Discrimination on Employee Performance

Impact of Gender Discrimination on Employee Performance Since the independence Pakistan has seen the formation of its banking system with the birth of State Bank of Pakistan in 1948, till 70s the banks were state owned and it was in 70s when they started to get privatized, till the 80s the banks saw the ups and downs but it was in the 90s when banking sector witnessed change. In the 90s the state-owned banks got privatized, first banks to undergo the privatization were Muslim Commercial Bank and Allied Bank, privatized between 1991 and 1993. In 2002 the third largest bank called United Bank got privatized and Habib Bank got privatized in 2004. Currently there are 54 banks operating in Pakistan which include 4 public sector banks, 5 Islamic banks, 20 private banks, 7 foreign banks, 8 DFIs, 4 special banks like IDBP, PPCB, ZTBL and 6 micro finance banks/institution (Banks in Pakistan, 2008). Currently banking sector is the soundest working sector of the country and even when in 2008 world witnessed global crunch the banking sector of Pakist an exhibited sound position due to its policies. The reason for choosing the banking sector as a study field is that it is the most developed institution of Pakistan it is has most developed and most operationalized Human resources system and thousands of people are employed by the banks. Oxford dictionary defines Discrimination as a distinction (made with the mind, or in action), discrimination is a phenomenon that is present in any and almost every organization, discrimination simply defined is a biased treatment of a person based on his/her affiliation with a certain group, it is a behavior exhibited to other people. In workplace discrimination the employee or group of employees are made target of prejudice (Major, Quinton, Schmader, 2003) and the person that is being discriminated is not given the opportunities that others are availing or are available to others and furthermore it point to the tools for demonstrating and establishing the social relation of dominance and oppression (Kreiger, 1999) . According to United Nations Discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection, so the discriminations eventually affect an individual or group by excluding him/them from privileges that others are enjoying. There are dif ferent kinds of discriminations like racial/ethnic, age, gender, identity, cast, employment, disability, reverse, religious discriminations to name a few. Discrimination at a workplace means that the employee or group of employees are not treated fairly as compared to others and the reason for this treatment is not related with the ability of employees or group of employees to perform their specific job assigned by the organization. For this study direct discrimination is of more interest, direct discrimination is the type in which an employee or group of employees are affected by the decision which is based on an assumption stemming from employee or group of employees belonging to a certain status. In this study the focus would be on form of discrimination that is without legal basis but allowed as a norm and not the other kind which is prohibited by law. The topic aims at studying the effects of discrimination on the performance of an employee of an organization and the kind of di scrimination that is being under research is the gender based discrimination which may arise between superiors and subordinates and also between peers. Gender discrimination is attitude and belief of the discriminator of giving or refraining to give rights to the employee due to his/her gender, it also can be behavior, policy, interaction, action and procedure which affects the work of an employee negatively by creating a disparate treatment or creation of intimidating work environment or hostile environment which is according to sex (Carr, et al., 2000). In developing countries this practice is prevalent and the main target of this kind of discrimination are women although gender harassment doesnt mean that only women are prone to this type of discrimination but mostly women are the victims of such type of discrimination. Discrimination regardless of its type can cause ill effects of the mental health of an individual for example discrimination causes social disconnection and cause s a sense of distress (Eisenberger Lieberman, 2004), discrimination can be an important kind of a stress which can affect health of an employee badly, stress due to discrimination can trigger psychological reactivity, and it affects the mental health (Williams, 1999). Another effect of discrimination is the trust; discrimination negatively affects the trust between discriminator and the discriminated, trust being a psychological condition covers a state of perceived risk that is result of an individuals ambiguity concerning possible actions and intentions of those upon whom that person is depending (Kramer, 1999) and while trusting an individual puts his fate in the TRUSTED persons hands hoping/expecting that he will perfrom his/her duty diligently. Third the organizational commitment is an important issue here, the organizational commitment is a relation between the employer and his employee, organizational commitment creates in an employee responsibility towards the employer whic h improves the employees work behavior (Shore Wayne, 1993).Organizations use the technique of gender mainstreaming to promote the equality among the employees of an organization and it is defined as a process of change that includes how an organizations system and structure is causing dicrimination indirectly and to change that structure and system to get rid of that discrimination all over the world this technique is used to cater to the specific problem of discrimination. All of the above have their own individual effects which when combined can affect an individual in many different ways by affecting his personal life as well as his professional life. The objective of this study is to see if there exists a significant relationship between the gender discrimination and the employee performance in an organization. The gender discrimination has many outcomes but for this study the outcomes that are under study include mental health of an individual which is affected by the discrimination regardless of the nature or kind of such discrimination, it is in this study that effect on trust between the employer and the employee is also observed whether it affects the employee performance or not, the discrimination when occur would also affect an emplyees commitment towards the organization that he is working with and when this happens the employee would lose interst and that affects the perfromance of that employee negatively. Of interst to this research is to study the work conditions of the banking sector of Pakistan where equal employment opportunity is provided to both men and women and where both gender are coworkers, with banks having a strong human resource setup it is of interest to observe what is the scenario of discrimination in such a work environement. The research question for this study include questions such as observing if the gender discrimination exists in the working environement of Pakistani banking sector. The second question would be to observe the significance of such relation which means to observe if that relation is stong or mild or negligible. The third question that would need answering is that do the out comes of gender discrimination which have been mentioned above affect the employee performance and how intense their relationship with employee performance is. The next queston addresses the gender mainstreaming and to what extent gender mainstreaming moderates the effect of gender discrimination, this would also reveal whether pakistani banking sector is making any efforts proactively to prevent the problem of workplace gender discrimination or not. And then the question would arise that in current pakistani culture which is heavily male dominated culture and where discrimination maybe considered a norm then in su c conditions what would be the effect of such discrimination on an employees perfromance, would the effect be considerable or would the effect be minimal? The business reason for this study is to observe how well the banking sector of the country is doing as the banking sectoe actively encourages women through their advertisements to join the banking industry and also because for a few years the banking industry is single most booming industry of the country and because even though women are encouraged to work in the sector it is still mainly a male dominated society where gender discrimination may manifest at some point of time, the business reason would be to identify whether the practice of gender discrimination exists or not and to what extent such phenomenon exist and how its is affecting the workers of the sector. By identifying the prevalence of this phenomenon in the sector the banking companies can take measures to control such issues and that inturn would benefit the em[ployees of those companies by providing them healthy work environement where all the employees regardless of their gender could achieve the full potential tha t they are capable of. This study is of interest because it taks about a phenomen that has been mostly observed in the western work and social environment, to observe this phenomenon in Pakistani cultual settings and work settings is of great interest that would reveal the amount of the penomenon in existance and its significane and it would also be of interst to see if Pakistani banking sector has acknowledged the existence of this phenomenon and if they are doing anything about it or not. LITERATURE REVIEW: Gender discrimination is one is an apparent issue in the society of Pakistan, Pakistan got independence in 1947 and since it was once a part of India the Indian influence exists still today that is why equality of genders is an issue and to resolve this issue a culture change would have to be applied still Pakistan in more advanced than its neighbor in terms of female rights. Discrimination itself is a phenomenon that that is found worldwide take America for example where inequality is ever more present due to discrimination (Darity Jr Mason, 1998) and brithish labor market is no different either there also exist gender discrimination as in UK womens compensation is lower than that of a man (Wright Ermisch, 1991), simply we can say that discrimination is a biased behavior towards certain individuals. Scholars have identified discrimination as the situation where employee or group of employees are made target of prejudice (Major, Quinton, Schmader, 2003) and the target is deprived if the opportunities that are available to rest, furthermore it point to the tools for demonstrating and establishing the social relation of dominance and oppression (Kreiger, 1999). According to United Nations Discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection, so the discriminations eventually affect an individual or group by excluding him/them from privileges that others are enjoying. Among the different kinds of discriminations like racial/ethnic, age, gender, identity, cast, employment, disability, reverse, religious for this study gender discrimination that occurs at the workplace is of interest. Discrimination at a workplace is that when employees as individuals or in groups are not treated fairly as compared to others and the reason is not their professional capability to perform specific task as assigned to them. In this study the focus would be on evaluating keeping in mind the social and cultural differences the extent of ex istence of gender discrimination in the Pakistani work environment. Gender discrimination is a discrimination which is unbalanced approach towards a person because of his/her gender, furthermore Gender discrimination is attitude and belief of the discriminator of giving or refraining to give rights to the employee due to his/her gender, it also can be behavior, policy, interaction, action and procedure which affects the work of an employee negatively by creating a disparate treatment or creation of intimidating work environment or hostile environment which is according to sex (Carr, et al., 2000).Discrimination on the base of gender hampers performance by affecting the level of professional self-esteem and confidence, career satisfaction and being secluded in a work environment affecting their performance (Carr, Szalacha, Barnett, Caswell, Inui, 2003). In developing countries this practice is prevalent and the main target of this kind of discrimination are women although gender har assment doesnt mean that only women are prone to this type of discrimination but mostly women are the victims of such type of discrimination. For this study of gender discrimination and its effect on employees performance the independent variable is Gender discrimination and there are many outcomes of gender discrimination and from those outcomes 3 have been taken to be included in this study. The first outcome is the JOB STRESS; stress can be called an result of a person and that outcome is because of the workplace environment that is for him unsafe (Bashir Ramay, 2010).Scholars have documented that discrimination causes ill effects on the mental health of an individual and causes social disconnection and a sense of distress (Eisenberger Lieberman, 2004), stress can affect health of an employee badly, stress due to discrimination can trigger psychological reactivity, and it affects the mental health (Williams, 1999). Job stress is the biggest contributor to the organizational expenditure and when the employee is exposed to job stress for prolonged periods to time it eventually leads to job burnout (Maslach, 2003) and th e burn out diminishes an employees job performance as a result. Stress inducing effects of gender discrimination have been documented also by (Kreiger, 2002) who reported that gender discrimination affected a persons health by significantly elevating the stress levles of the affected. Job Stress occurs from the social relations that are within the confines of an organization (Le Blanc, De Jonge, Schaufeli, 2000). Further the job stress stemming form gender discrimination directly affects the performance of an employee in an organization. Further (AbdulRub, 2004) also reported that there existed relation between job stress and performance,scholars have found that gender discrimination affects the career satisfaction, professional self confidence and esteem and seclusiveness. Another study conducted suggested that job stress significantly decreases the performance of an employee (Bashir Ramay, 2010). The other outcome for the independent variable of this study is TRUST; the study of trust in an organizational setting has been significant since 1995 and now more and more scholars are looking into the effects of trust in the organizational setting, trust can be defined as a two part process where one has confidence in others dependability and purity and it should also be mentioned that the trust comes from social interaction and in its absence the level of trust decreases. Through trust between parties affects the important mechanisms of the organization and the results within an organization (Mayer Davis, 1999) and trust empowers the employee and thus improves his/her performance at work (Gomez Rosen, 2001). As far as the link between gender discrimination is concerned a study in Finland documented that discrimination leads to low level of trust (Liebkind Lathi, 2000). In a work setting it is to be noted that there may be trust in existence between employer and the employee or the subordinate and the superior but at some point due to discrimination and specifically gender discrimination this trust turns into distrust which would likely to be psychological incident for the individual who is putting the trust in other (Schoorman, Mayer, Davis, 2007). It is evident that there exist a relation between the gender discrimination and trust now and behavior of the management is an important cause in develpoing the association between the management and the employees (Whitener, Brodt, Korsgaard, Werner, 1998) and it is to be seen that what would be its effect on the employees performance in an organization when the effect of trust would be accompaniying effects of other elements too, this would also reveal about the existence of that relation as well as the significance in case of its existence. Third the third element in the equation is organizational commitment, organizational commitment is an important issue to discuss it is documented that organizational commitment is affected by discrimination (Ensher, Grant-Vallone, Donalidson, 2001), as the organizational commitment is a relation between the employer and his employee organizational commitment creates in an employee responsibility towards the employer which improves the employees work behavior (Shore Wayne, 1993). Organizational commitment promotes in an employee the sense of organizational citizenship as well as it increases the employee performance, even if at the time the performance of an employee is not increasing at the moment but still commitmtnet increases the expectation regarding their performance and as a result those employees perform positivlely (Meyer Allen). Discrimination affects the oranizational outomes that include organizational commitment (Sancez Brook, 1998), so the effect of the element of co mmitment would be observed how it would in combination with other element affect employees performance in an organization. In this study the gender mainstreaming is used as an moderator to moerate the effect of gender discrimination on the employees performance. Gendermainstreaming is the a concept that suggests that there should be promotion of the equality among the employees of an organization and it is defined as a process of change that includes how an organizations system and structure is causing dicrimination indirectly and to change that structure and system to get rid of that discrimination, three legged equality stool acknowledges the interconnectivity of equal treatment perspective, womens perspective, this technique is widely used to cater to the specific problem of discrimination. UNDP has also made an effort in coping with gender discrimination by using the tool of gender mainstreaming. And for this study the dependent variable is of the employees job performance. The performance of an employee is of utmost importance for any organization and employer, any organzation that is doing well in the moarket can easily attribute its performance with performance of its employees and without satisfactory performance in workplace satisfactory organzational performance is not possible. The employee job performance can be defined as a combination of questions as how much an employee is contributing to the overall performance of the work unit? how much task assigned to the employee has been completed by him/her? as compared to hi/her unit how good his/her performance is? and does the performance of the employee meets the standard of the employees supervisor?. An employees job performance is a set of elemets that include effort, skill and results which are of importance to an employee as well as the organization (Lusch Serpkenci, 1990). The aim here is to see how gender discrimi nation would affect this set of elements and its significance. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study for this research work would be a non-intervention study as no intervention would be made and only data would be gathered from the researchable situation. The study includes an element of both qualitative and quantitative study. Gender MainstreamingTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Job Stress GENDER DISCRIMINATION Employee performance Trust Organizational commitment In this model Gender discrimination is the independent variable, job stress, trust and organizational commitment are its three outcomes that have been taken into consideration, in the model the gender mainstreaming is playing the role of moderator by moderating the effects of the gender discrimination while employees job performance is the dependent variable that is being affected by the discrimination. HYPOTHESES From the model for the purpose of this study following hypotheses have been drawn. H1- Job stress negatively affects the employee job performance. It is hypothesized that as the job stress would increase the employees job performance would decrease. H2- Low trust between the employer and the employee negatively affects the employees job performance. The second hypothesis states that as the trust between employer and the employee decreases the employees job performance is affected negatively. H3- Lack of organizational commitment negatively affects the employee job performance. The third hypothesis states that when an employees organizational commitment would decrease his job performance would also decrease. H4- The more the gender discrimination at the workplace the lower will be performance of an employee at his/her job. This hypothesis states that as the gender discrimination increases the employee job performance would decrease. H5- Gender mainstreaming moderates the effect of gender discrimination on to employees job .performance. Fifth hypothesis states that gender mainstreaming in an organization would moderate the effect of gender discrimination in a work environement. SAMPLE SIZE For this study the target sample is the workforce employed at the bank, both man and women would be equally taken into the sample. The type of sampling would be convenience sampling due to the budget and time constraints; the research questionnaire shall be administered to all three designation levels of banking staff which are Officer Grade 1, Officer Grade 2 and Officer Grade 3. The questionnaire shall be administered in all the banks situated in Lahore; the amount of questionnaire per bank would be ten and the questionnaires would be administered women as the gender discrimination is more specifically a womens issue especially in our region. To collect the data, a questionnaire would be used which would consist of questions regarding discriminatory behavior faced by the respondents, questions related to mental health and organizational commitment as well as questions related to trust would be included in the questionnaire and employees job performance questions would include quest ions regarding knowledge of principles, facts, ideas about the job and knowing what to do, the procedural knowledge would be covering elements like how to do the work and skill include cognitive, perceptual and interpersonal skill and last but not the least motivation questions and thats how the questionnaire would be complete. The software used for this study will be SPSS with whose help correlational, regression based analysis would be conducted on the variables. ANOVA would be used for the moderator. SPSS would be used due to its easy availability and also due to its ease of use and data importability and exportability to other MS office packages. LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS The study has some limitations as it is not possible to and beyond the scope of the study to venture into other avenues. The first limitation is that the study setting is of a bank so the results cannot be generalized to other sectors, other studies with different sectors would have to conduct to obtain the generalizability of the outcomes. Second limitation is that other is the sample size; future scholar should take a bigger sample size to observe its effect on the results. The third limitation could be that of the culture, Pakistan has a unique culture so the result may also be unique to this very culture, future researcher should replicate this study to see the consistency of the results. The main benefit of this study would be to the banking sector as the study specifically aimed the banks. This study could allow HR professionals as well as the management officials of the banking companies to look for the opportunities within their workspaces to tackle the practice of gender discrimination which would ultimately benefit the organization as his/her commitment, trust towards the organization would increase he/she would be able to concentrate better to his/her job as a result of improved mental health and hence the job performance of the employee would increase ultimately contributing positively towards the overall organizational productivity.